Dobri, a former dancing bear, was rescued in November 2003 and now lives
in
our Bulgarian bear sanctuary, Belitsa. As a result of his tortured
past,
poor Dobri was in a pitiful state when he came into our care. His
left eye
had been so badly injured during a trip to one of his 'dance
performances'
that he lost his sight in this eye.

On top of this,
he had no visibility in his right eye because of a cataract.
It seemed
that Dobri would spend the rest of his life in solitary darkness.
However, at this year's veterinary check-up Dobri had to be fully
anaesthetized for dental treatment and eye specialists noticed an
opportunity for him to regain some sight in his right eye. An operation like this had never been carried out on a bear! We decided to take a chance
and
give Dobri the opportunity to see again.

On 18th September
2010, two of the best eye surgeons in Bulgaria, Dr Tumbev
and Dr Dimkov,
carried out the world's first operation of its kind on a
bear, together
with the team of Professor Aminkov from the Veterinary
University of
Sofia. Despite his age, Dobri recovered from the operation
remarkably
well. After around 20 days, the stitches dissolved naturally.
Sadly
Dobri did not regain his full eyesight, as another severe wound was
discovered during the operation, but he can distinguish light from darkness and make out shapes and outlines. This has made a world of difference to
Dobri, improving his quality of life.

However, Dobri's operation
cost nearly ?4000, even with both eye specialists
generously waiving
their fees. Next spring, when the bears awake from their
hibernation,
another check-up will follow, during which Dobri will be
examined. The
other bears in our park are also in urgent need of check-ups
and
treatment. We will need at least ?10,000 just to cover the doctors'
surgical materials and equipment, and for this we ask for your help. Please be as generous as you can and make a donation today.